This week marks the 8th week in Transformation.com’s 8 Week Super Summer Challenge. I had a few goals set for this challenge…..

Release 10#

Skate up the 8 levels of the 8th St. Parking Garage

A faster 5K (goal to beat 44:44)

Get up to 10# free weights without hurting my tennis elbow

Faster 25 Derby Laps (Last pace 5:00.02)

Finish the See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon in 03:30:00 (I finished in 03:29:59 according to clock but ankle timer was a few seconds faster)

Having finished the 1/2 marathon in the right time….and stepping on the scale yesterday with a total of 9.8# released so far (certain I will make the 10# goal)….and already using the 10# weights 3x/week without elbow pain…that still left me with the faster 5K, the parking garage and the laps…

Last night, my hubby and I made a little visit to the 8th Street Parking Garage with my skates! I felt all sneaky like. A part of me KNEW that this couldn’t be allowed in the parking garages, but my friends had done it before and didn’t mention getting busted. But either way, I wasn’t gonna take the chance. So We went up to level 2 where the parking starts to get my skates on. *laugh* I didn’t want the attendants to see me rolling in through the gates *laugh* Anyway, I skated up there. I am not certain what preconceived notions I had of this adventure, but I thought I would KILL me. I thought it would be harder than heck! Yes, there were parts that were hard. Every level had an up ramp and then a semi flat part. So my legs had a bit of a rest at every level. One thing I did notice was that the cement was grippy and hard to push on..especially going up the up ramps! By the time I got to the top of every up ramp, my legs were noodles! I was very grateful when I got to level 4 and the cars thinned out and I had the place to myself for the remainder of my skate..which made it that much more enjoyable!

Resting the legs on the "flat level" enjoying my skate 🙂

Skating is always worth smiling about!

Contemplation, alone time, pushing hard up hill!

Made It!!!

BUSTED!

I had not planned on coasting down. I thought that would certainly kill me! But once we got to the top and took some pictures, I thought…”Why not! At least on the empty levels!” So I started down on the “flat” part of the level and realized the “flat part” wasn’t so flat and I was already catching some speed. The steep parts might be a bit intense. I turned the corner to go down my first steep part, when I heard my husband yell from the car….”CAR!!!” I looked up and stopped. It wasn’t just any car, it was security! BUSTED!!!!!!

“Ma’am, you can’t skate in the parking garages.” He said with a smile and amused look in his eyes.

“Okay,” I replied. “I just wanted to skate up the garage. And I’m done so I’m leaving anyway. Thanks.”

The passenger security guard looked at me with a laugh, “I bet that was a workout!”

“Yes, sir. That was the point. I did it, and now I’m getting in my car and driving down.”

They were all smiles and very sweet. I think they were expecting to find a rowdy mouthy teenagers and were shocked to find a 42 year old woman! *laugh* It was fun..and boy did I feel like the rebellious teenager they were expecting! Ha! It’s good for the soul!

One more goal down…….a few more to go!

Last night I went to bed early. I knew it would be a cool morning and I wanted to get up and out early for my run. So this morning, I woke up and I could feel it! Today was going to be the day! I put on my running shoes, got my Nike+ Ap running and hit the pavement. My knees were trying to tell me otherwise. My back was trying to tell me I was crazy. My lungs were NOT happy. And my mind wanted to play games with me! I just told them all to be quiet..we were gonna do this today!!!! So I ran…and walked…and ran some more. I didn’t use my formal 4 min run 2 min walk training, but I was close. My running was faster, my form (thanks to Chi Running) is getting better. But I’m still running too fast for my lungs. Gotta work on that. Anyway… I did it! My original goal was faster than the 45 minute pace I had been running for my 1/2 marathon training. Then I had the crazy goal of 43 minutes today. A goal is no good unless it is specific..faster just wouldn’t do. I needed a specific time! So I set what felt like an impossible goal to reach..shaving off 2 minutes of my time in a week? Seriously?

Well ya know what? You are more than you ever imagined you can be!!!! You are a limitless being of the Divine Creator. AND SO AM I!!!!

Today, I finished my 5K in 42:38!!!!!!!!

5K time 42:38

So there ya have it….2 more goals checked off the list! I will get to Eagle Skate Park sometime this week to re-run laps and see where I am :). What goals are you reaching for????

The opening line of President Obama’s newest book just tugs at the heart of every parent. I know I ask my daughter this almost every single day! All I want is for my daughter to grow up with a strong self-esteem and realize she can be and do ANYTHING she wants to be and do! This book follows along those same lines and uses people from our history as examples….Creative like Georgia O’Keeffe, smart like Albert Einstein, strong like Helen Keller…….

This book is filled with beautiful pictures and inspiring words to reach right to the heart of your young daughter! I loved every word of it. Even if you are not an Obama supporter, the words in this book cross party lines and get down to what is important! Encouraging and inspiring your daughters to be the best possible person they can be!

One of the things that really got to me was the very last page…the last 4 lines. I totally believe that we are all ONE…that you and I are ONE…that the past and I are ONE. And here in the last 4 lines, it says…..

This is one of those children books that I wasn’t sure if I read when I was in my college children’s lit class or not. Since it is written by Shel Silverstein, I would be surprised that I didn’t read it, but I just couldn’t remember it. I have always heard people talk about the book, but it just wasn’t jogging my memory. So it found its way onto my list! December 30, 2010…it’s about time I became acquainted with The Giving Tree!

A very simple story about a boy who grows up with a tree. You get to follow the relationship between the boy and the tree through out the years and see just how much the boy asks of the tree (either verbally or just assuming it) and just how far the tree is willing to go in the giving.

I read some info about it after I read the book and I guess there are 2 camps of thought about the book. I’ll let you do the research, but for the blog, I will just share my own thoughts. Okay? Great!

My first thought was this story was about the sacrificial mom syndrome. I had a very good friend many years ago who brought this idea up to me. As stay at home moms, we gave and gave and gave to our children and never took the time to take care of ourselves. In the end, that kind of giving (even to those beautiful children whom we love so much) is harmful. There comes a time, when we as parents need to say, “Honey, I just need a moment.” or “No, Honey, I can’t get that for you because its jut not in the budget.” There is no harm in saying “no” and it is certainly a lesson I have had to learn as a parent.

Honestly, I’m not certain if I like this book or not. It is kind of sad..to me. But to others, it may be like a warm hug. It really is about perception, and you would have to read it for yourself to understand. If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on the story. It is just bitter-sweet for me. I want to like it. I want to love it. But I just can’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling about it.

This book has been on my list for quite some time. I guess I am finishing up this year and this blog with the wonderment of a child! I kinda like it!

This is the 3rd book of Wayne Dyer’s that I am blogging about, and I have YET to read one he wrote for adults! Too funny!

Who wouldn’t want their child to feel unstoppable..like the sky’s the limit? This book gives “10 ways to soar through life”. I love the rhyming and the rhythm in this book. The pictures are beautiful and bright. It’s just a fun book to read. And at the end of this book are little discussion questions to ask your child (or maybe even for YOU) to think about.

One of my favorite quotes in this book is “Take a breath and slow it down a hair; it’s not just the goal that brings you joy–it’s the path you take to get there.” It reminded me of this journey and this blog. I had no idea what the journey would be like, but I did have a very specific goal: 52 books in 52 weeks. Of course, I assumed, they would be grown up books with grown up messages. In my intellectual mind, I figured they would be deep and profound and oh so very serious! And yet, here I am finishing this journey with 4 children’s books all with very deep and profound messages, but with a FUN flair! If there’s one thing I have learned this year it has been to let go and in joy NOW!

So what are the 10 ways to soar through life????? I guess I will share that secret with you, but you really should pick up the book and read it for yourself….since I won’t be sharing with you all the fun stuff that comes along with it!

1) You’re Great–No Matter What!

2) Persistence Pays Off!

3) Welcome the Unknown

4) You Have a Choice

5) Farewell to Worry

6) Peace Begins with You

7) Enjoy the Here-and-Now

8 ) Healthy Me!

9) Creativity is the Key!

10) What can you Give?

There you have it..now rush out to the store and pick up your own personal copy and give yourself a warm hug and smile!

I am in the home stretch of my 52 books in 52 weeks The God Project blog..only 4 books to go, and I have chosen to finish up with 4 children’s books. Two of them were already on my reading list, but the other 2 I found on the shelf and found to be very important reads.

My Princess Boy is one of them!

This year we have seen so many young men kill themselves because of anti-gay bullying. This brought on the “It Get’s Better” YouTube channel and project. It spurred rallies all over the country. And it really stirred me. As I have said before in this blog, I was bullied my whole childhood. I know what it is like. I watched my own children get bullied for various reasons. I have seen it from both ends, and its ugly. So when I saw the title of this book, I HAD to pick it up and choose it for this blog! The message is IMPORTANT and timely.

This book is a true story written by a mom who’s 4-year-old son loves to dress in girls clothing. Instead of forcing her hand and saying..”No! Little boys don’t dress that way!” she has embraced his creativity and reinforced her love for him. As a matter of fact, his whole family has embraced him and loves him for who he is and has no plans on changing him any time soon! This is so refreshing!

Love & self-esteem start at home! We as parents need to nurture our children and love them for who they are. Give them the space to figure it out for themselves. We need to be able to let go of what we think we want for our children and give them space to be themselves. Why do we as parents insist on living through our children instead of letting them live their own lives with our loving support? And it goes beyond what happens at home. I know some parents will say, “Well its okay to dress like this at home, but when you are out in public, that’s a different matter.” No! It’s not. What does that tell the child? That you have to pretend to be something you are not so others will not laugh at you and like you? Talk about starting your child off with a complex! And it tells your child that you don’t support them and that they can not come to you with their true feelings and issues.

I know how hard it is to watch your child being bullied. I know how hard it is to see them come home in tears and refuse to want to go to school. This book is such an inspiration to parents who’s children are being bullied. It’s an inspiration to kids who just want to be themselves! It’s such a great tool for the school to use to show the individuality we each have and should be shared and celebrated instead of bullied and put down!

I applaud Cheryl and her family for being such great parents. And I applaud the school their child goes to for supporting this little boy in his individuality and creativity!

Please visit http://www.myprincessboy.com to learn more about this amazing book and the family behind it. There is also an amazing interview with Cheryl and her son on YouTube that you can check out!

So I leave you with this question: How do you support the children in your life in their individuality? What do YOU do when you see a little boy in the store dressed up like a princess or a little girl in the store who is dressed like a boy? Or let’s take it a step further…what do YOU do when you see ADULTS who dress like the other gender? Be honest. What do you think (even to yourself where no one else can hear you)? Just some food for thought!

“We all have a spiritual purpose, a mission, that we have been pursuing without being fully aware of it, and once we bring it completely into consciousness, our lives can take off.” This sentence found in the last 3rd of the book just about sums it all up for me. We have a spiritual purpose for this life. I know I do. I know I was called to, or whatever you want to call it, at a very young age. I know that I have spent my entire life “chasing it” trying to figure out “where to go from here”…”what I want to be when I grow up”. I know that I have spent a great deal of my life trying to “control” it instead of letting it flow to me. Living in the flow, instead of forcing the issue. That is the only way to have it come to me. But I guess I wasn’t exactly ready for it, that is, until this year. Not until doing this 52 books in 52 weeks project.

This book has been on my “to read list” for YEARS! I have seen the movie, but never got around to reading it. As a matter of fact, it was on my list to read this year way early on in the year, but it has taken me to number 48 at week number 52 to actually get it read. But ya know what? It came at the perfect time!

This book reinforces much of what I believe spiritually. It talks about energy, personal conflicts and why we have them, about coincidences and how we pay attention to them we realize they are not coincidences rather our intuition talking to us! The idea (in this book) is that there are 9 insights left to us by the Mayans, and these 9 insights show us the way to evolve and become more spiritually connected and in tune people. The insights give us a better way to live..a better way to understand what the Christ was teaching us through is life….. It is so beautiful!

Like usual, I underlined and dog-eared every other page. This book was that profound. However, like the story itself, I think I will let you discover the insights on your own..the way you are lead to them. That is the only way you will truly understand them.

I will tell you to pay attention to “coincidences” in your life. For example, let’s take a look at how I became employed at Bogus Basin as a cashier in the Simplot Lodge. I did NOT want to work in the Simplot Lodge. It is the busiest lodge and can get quite messy. It has been my perception that it can be very loud with lots of screaming teens and children. In the past I have been very sensitive to that many people. It did not sound enjoyable to me. Then as my son Nate was trying to apply for a buser’s job on-line for Simplot Lodge, I was trying to help him and accidentally clicked on it and applied for MYSELF for a busser in the Simplot Lodge. A busser!!!! So totally NOT what I wanted. I tried and tried and tried very unsuccessfully to remove this from my on-line jobs profile for Bogus. Even though the button said “unclick” or whatever, it would not allow me to remove it. Ah well. Then, I got the call from the Simplot Manager wanting me to interview for THAT position. I told the manager (Gary) that it was an accident and I didn’t want the job. Instead, he asked me to come in any way just to start the process. I agreed. I got called for the interview, Nate did not. I felt horrible. I was getting a job, that I didn’t even want, and Nate wasn’t even getting called at all.

I went to the interview; as we talked the subject of Nate came up. Gary wrote down his name and said he would call him. He did. Nate went to the interview and said that if I had not gotten called first, he didn’t think he would have ever gotten called. Yay! Then I got the job offer, and so did Nate. I took the offer, but still hoped the other 5 jobs I applied for would come through. I only got interviewed for ONE of the other jobs. I didn’t get that job. Instead I ended up with a cashier’s job in Simplot Lodge (even though I applied for busser, Gary said he wanted me as Cashier).

It turns out, it is PERFECT!!!!!! I LOVE my job, and miss it when I’m not there! I love the people I work with. I love the guests I get to serve. I love everything about it.

Great…so that is one coincidence. It is ONE example of how following the coincidences all the way through will lead you to wear you need to be and maybe even help other people at the same time. So what is my next step in following these coincidences? On our first work newsletter there was a section about taking your own professional growth into your hands. If there is someone at work who has the qualities or experiences you would like to learn from, then talk to them. Well, Bogus is a non-profit recreational facility. In my job, I get to see all the ‘big wigs” who run the mountain and talk to them on a daily basis. My next step is getting to know them better and make a date to have lunch or dinner with them and see if I can learn how to go about getting my non-profit recreational facility (roller rink) up and running!

This is what The Celestine Prophecy talks about… one of my favorite quotes says: “The universe is energy, energy that responds to our expectations. People are part of that energy universe too, so when we have a question, the people show up who have the answer.” I have followed the energy to the right place for the universe to provide me with the people I think will be able to help me! I ask the questions, and the universe gave me the answers!

Here is another great quote. Beside it, I wrote, “My work!”. During this part of the book, the main character describes a dream he was having about being in this raging river and if he fights the river it would drown him, but if he didn’t fight against it…”It woudl have carried me to the key. What are you saying? That if i don’t fight against this situation that I might still get the answers I want?” His friend replied, “I’m not saying anything. The dream is saying.”

Why do we fight against what is right, even when at first glance it looks wrong. If we stop trying to control our lives and live in the flow and be OPEN to what the universe is sharing with us, we will wind up right where we are supposed to be and life will be bliss! When we are filled with energy and living in the flow, all of our questions will be answered and we would feel like a fish out of water trying to gasp for our next breath! It’s beautiful!

I will leave you with one more great quote that sums up not only this book and the lessons learned from it, but also my year…..

“I guess I’ve woken up and seen the world as a mysterious place that provides everything we need, if we get clear and get on the path.”

It’s interesting how and why some of these book have been read this year. This one I already owned and it was in my library. It is such a beautiful little book, but I haven’t read it in years, and I didn’t remember how it even came to me. (Though I found out on Facebook after posting about it..my Sis in Law (Misty) told me she gave it to me *laugh*).

Anyway, 2 nights ago, my 18-year-old son, Nate, broke up with his 15-year-old girl friend who has been emotional unstable for a while now. He has only dated her for like a month. Really not long at all. We were afraid that when he broke up with her, she would try to kill herself. Well a couple of hours after he broke up with her, that is exactly what she did. She took 45 pills (so she thinks)….a mixture of OTC’s and prescriptions. When she told Nate that she was doing it, we called the police and they arrived just in time. She had already stopped breathing. But they were able to bring her back. It was very scary..still is, truthfully.

So yesterday, she asked me to come visit her in the hospital. She told me she could use the support. As I was getting dressed in my bedroom, I felt the need to bring something to her. I looked around, and I saw this stuffed frog holding onto a hear that said “hug me”. It was given to me by a very dear friend of mine when I was sick. I decided I would take that so she would have something to hold on to when she was feeling sad. Then I heard this inner voice say I needed to take her a book. I thought it was a book that Tracy (my hubby) had given me years ago when I was very sad and needed someone. I thought I knew exactly where it was. I went down to my library and looked, but what jumped out of me was Cassandra’s Angel. I took it off the shelf and read it.

A little girl who spent her life hearing other people tell her that she was a mess, she was different, she was incorrigible, that she didn’t matter. She was sad and felt alone. But these were all someone else’s stories they were projecting on to her. The she met her angel who told her that she is a light in this world and she was beautiful and smart and not to listen to other people’s opinions but to only listen to her own heart and light.

Such a beautiful story with beautiful pictures! And it was PERFECT to take to a teenager who had just tried to kill herself…who was feeling all of these things….

So I took the frog and the book to the hospital and read it to Katie. I gave it to her and told her that whenever she is feeling lonely or sad or less than amazing, to pick up the book and remember she is loved and beautiful and amazing! I just hope that one day she will really understand the meaning of the story and truly understand just how amazing she is in her own right!

My prayers continue to be with Katie………

You just never know when a book is going to jump out at you…when you least expect it, the PERFECT book will call out to you…. have you been listening?????

At the very beginning of the year, one of my friends asked a question on Facebook about the books people were reading. One of his friends said she had read this book and it was awesome. So I immediately put it on my list. I had no idea what it was about, and when I went to go look for it in the book store, I found it in the business section. Another business book? Okay….I’ll bite!

The Go-Giver is not your ordinary dried up business how-to book. To me, it was more like reading Dan Millman’s “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”, but for business. You get to follow Joe on his search for success where he winds up with this teacher who, over a weeks time, introduces Joe to different people who share with him The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. It was such a fun book to read! As a matter of fact, it was so awesome, that I bought it for christmas presents for several people! I just had to share this gem!

There were a couple of times in this book where I found myself crying from pure happiness. I found what I have always believed right here between two covers of a book! I have always been passionate about customer service, and that is what this book is all about. But it’s so much more than that! What you learn in this book reaches far beyond business; you can apply these lessons to your personal relationships! It has certainly given me a refresher on my enthusiasm for service..especially since I have a new job as a cashier in the busiest lodge on Bogus Basin.

During our orientation for Bogus they talked about how we must anticipate our guests needs and smile and give them the best service. Of course, I took that to heart. I always do…remember, I’m passionate about customer service. But this book took it even further. Even though I’m “just a cashier” and taking money for things the guests have already decided they want, what more do I have to “sell” them? Well, it’s my job to sell them on the best Bogus experience they can have…..whether its smiling from my register, making sure the dining room is clean, helping a mom with a screaming child, or just greeting them as they walk in. It’s my job to provide them with the best and friendliest experience possible. Will I ever see a monetary return for that? Probably not. I get paid what I get paid. Sometimes someone will leave me their “change” for a tip. Sometimes someone will actually give me a tip..just for ringing up their food. But all in all, we don’t get /take tips and I don’t get commission. So where is the incentive? The incentive is in seeing their smiles and in knowing that I had some part in their fun time at Bogus. I love that stuff! And that is exactly what this book is about!

I also found some encouragement in this book…..to reach for my dreams and my goals. If I follow these steps (just doing what I already do), then taking the steps to reach my goals and my dreams should be easy..or at least a bit easier. *laugh* I feel like I am in the right place..both physically and intellectually. I couldn’t have read this book at the beginning of the year and gotten as much out of it as I did now…everything happens perfectly. Wow…this whole 52 in 52 journey has been mind-blowing and perfect! This is no different!

As far as I am concerned, this book is so easy and enjoyable to read, it is a MUST READ for everyone high school age and up!!!! Doesn’t make a difference if you are in sells, marketing, customer service, or a stay at home mom….pick up the book and read it!!!! You will get so much out of it!

So there I was, walking through the book store making a bee line to the children’s section when I saw this cute little puppy dog on the cover of a book and it was on sale for $4.98. Add that to my to my favorite word ever, “Bliss”, it was a MUST HAVE!!!!!

I was once told that the quickest way to feel happiness is to play with a pet. I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. I have never been a big animal person. I have always had pets, but I have never really been attached to them so I really didn’t understand this. Until I was really sad and my cat came up to me to love me and make me feel better. Then my dog would ask me to play and I would laugh so hard at him. And I fell in love with my animals. They have taught me some big lessons. So it was fun picking up this book and learning some lessons on happiness from Trixie the dog.

I also have to say that it was fun reading a book by Dean Koontz that was on the “light and fluffy” side :).

This book was written from Trixie’s point of view, and was a little odd to read at first. But as soon as I fell into the rhythm of the writing, it all began to make sense, and I really enjoyed the book.

According to Trixie, “the road to bliss is paved with dog wisdom.” And there are 8 steps. I will not tell you what those steps are; that is for you to read and find out! But here are some lessons I learned while reading Trixie’s thoughts:

1) Sit still and be quiet. Meditation is good.

2) The rising moon at the bottom of a finger nail is beautiful. I never really noticed this before!

3) Life without a cookie is unthinkable!

4) “Pleasure without beauty is just empty thrill”…kinda like Sex without love…..hmmm….same thing, yes?

5) “The world is a gift to make you happy.”

6) “Here is what real meaning is like. Maybe you’re meant to give kindness to one special child. Child grows up, is healer or wise leader. then your purpose was as big as any king’s, maybe bigger.” Being a stay at home mom….priceless and so very important!

7) “It is what it is.” “No Kidding. if it isn’t what it is, then what would it be? And if it is what it isn’t, what the hell is going on here?”

8) “Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation.” ~ St. Francis

9) If I want to remain young, I must play and laugh more!

10) Grief is cleansing.

Bonus reminder: Be grateful!!!!!!!!

This book is filled with such heart warming and profound wisdom..straight from the dog’s mouth! You will laugh and maybe even cry while reading this book. One thing is for certain, you will smile!!!!!

I bought this book when it first came out (some time at the beginning of the year). A group of my Facebook friends were going to take the class that was offered via Oprah I believe, and I was going to do it with them. Ya. I bought the book, but I never made it to the classes, and I didn’t read the book until now. And as with everything else in life, there is a timing for everything and I truly believe I needed to have a few more experiences before reading the book. It is perfect for right now! Exactly what I need at the exactly the right time.

This book intrigued me. As a trained storyteller, I learned a great deal about “the shadow” as it pertains to archetypes in storytelling and how to use storytelling in healing the psyche. This book seemed like a natural fit into my life and what I have already learned; it seemed like it would be a natural extension.

C.G. Jung tells us that our shadow is the person we would rather not be. Marianne Williamson says, “We feel if we take a deep look at ourselves, we’ll be too exposed. We don’t want to look at our own shadow, because we’re afraid of what we might see. But the only thing we should actually fear is not looking at it, for our denial of the shadow is exactly what fuels it.”

Debbie Ford asks the reader, “Are you ready to embark on this journey of reclaiming all of yourself, the light and the dark, your good self and your evil twin? Are you ready to return to the love of your true, total, authentic self rather than stay trapped in the judgmental angst of a disjointed human ego?” If so, “Your job is to learn from the shadow, to integrate it, and allow it to evolved your thinking and expand the boundaries of your self-created persona. Your challenge is to find its value and to bring the light of forgiveness and compassion so that you can defuse its ability to dismantle your life. Your job is to bring its complex characters out from the shadow, and to use their power and potency as sacred fuel to become who you were meant to be in this lifetime.”

Wow! That is a pretty big challenge. There is a reason it is called “the shadow”. It can be a bit scary to take an honest look at what we are feeling and why. Isn’t it easier to sit in judgment and blame someone else than to take 100% responsibility for our own thoughts and actions? Ya, I think so too! But I have realized in recent days, months, years that I need to take 100% accountability for everything that happened or continues to happen in my life. Whether it’s the abuse I endured as a child, the issues in my marriage, or what I perceive to be happening within the roller derby league I was practicing with. This book reiterates what I already believe and that is that “thoughts are things” and we create our own world based on our thoughts. When I think, “Well they don’t like me and are ignoring me and leaving me out because they don’t like me” then it sets that “wish” into motion and sure enough I get more of what I perceived to be true. This just shows me that I am feeling separate from others….separate from my self…separate from God/Love. Where there is separation, there is fear. Where there is fear, there is the shadow. Where there is shadow, there is dis-ease, pain, sadness.

There are so many great thoughts in this book that really helped me look at things in different ways. If you are struggling with addictions of any kind, fear of any kind, lack of success…if you feel as though something is holding you back, then pick up this book and give it a good read. At the end of the book there is a test to see how the Shadow Effect is playing out in your life. I am happy to say that the shadow is not controlling me completely, and yet there is room for growth :). My eyes are opened now, and that is a good thing.

I will close this entry with this last statement from Marianne Williamson:

“Ultimately, the healing of the world will emerge not from our changing and correcting others, but from our willingness to change and correct ourselves. Since all minds are joined, our ability to self-correct has a corrective influence on the entire universe.”